Operation: ENCOUNTER
by Syncronis
Summary: A young boy finds himself drawn into the K.N.D. and becomes entangled in an adventure that threatens the freedom of all children. Rated for violence, language and action. Takes place between Operation I.T. and Z.E.R.O. Chapter 1: The First Conflict
1. Looking Back: Change Is In The Air

Operation: Kids Next Door

Operation: ENCOUNTER

**E** _nigmatic_

**N **_ew_

**C **_adet_

**O **_ffered_

**U**_nreal_

**N **_ew_

**T**_ echnical_

**E **_ngineering_

**R **_ole_

_By: Syncronis_

Prologue

… _You know, I lived a good life before all of this insanity happened…_

_My name is Syncro… Syncro Armani. You're never going to hear my real name, so don't even bother asking. Not even my teachers call me by that name anymore… Only my dad, and only when he's REALLY angry… But I digress…_

_I'm a kid, of course… Ten years old, though sometimes people think I'm older because of how I act… I don't know why, just because I act differently from most kids? Bah! While most kids like to play outside in playgrounds, I liked to stay indoors and play with old, broken pieces machines. I suppose it was because of this the Kids Next Door started watching me, but who knows and who cares, right?_

_My dad noticed that I had a real love for machines… Guess it runs in the family, since he made a living working on computers. He told me to do what I loved, and if I put enough of my focus and heart into it, I'd be able to change the world… He was usually never wrong, but I didn't really think that he'd be right in this case. I decided to use what I learned playing with my broken toys and Dad's old parts and make some money out of it. So I made my own business; using the old abandoned warehouse in our suburban area in Empire City as a second home and scrounging the neighborhood for anything that I could use to work on._

_I eventually made myself a '2x4 autoshop', some kids told me; I used the parts I dug up in order to make all sorts of vehicles for kids to get around in… Motorcycles and cars, of course… I was still pretty new to the whole thing, and if I could get back to the shop, I'd expand to even larger aspirations…_

_The shop was called 'The Synchronizer', my slogan being that I'd 'put you in harmony with your vehicle.' It was never really much of course, but I took a lot of pride in my work after all, fixing things had always been a passion of mine. I've seen just about every type of vehicle come into the shop, from the age-old Powah Wheel Suhpreme to the nacho-cheese Cadillac and onto the rare popcorn fusion cylinder engines. The work is hard and messy most of the time, but the rewards are more than worth it. Most kids pay me in Yipper cards, the standard currency in the area, but every now-and-again I'll get a rarity like a Microsoft ® Points card or even the occasional RAB (Rare and Broken) toy that I can put back together with the leftover parts in the junk corner._

_Yeah, this job was hard in ways that would make even the most patient and humble of kids want to curse and scream; like when a liquid nacho-cheese tube springs loose and sends globs of cold, smelly ooze everywhere; or when the other kids get impatient or cheap, trying to haggle some of the prices on parts down, which is almost all the time. They just don't seem to have any idea how hard it is to get some of those parts; ordering them online or having to steal pieces from junkyards and trash cans. Most of the time those parts may as well __**STAY **__in the trash, and it takes almost forever to make it even remotely usable, ne'er the less safe to use in a vehicle._

_But even then, after all the sweat and grease and smells, the rewards made everything better again. More than often I got to learn a little something new about my work, and word-of-mouth made so many more people come in and ask for repairs. The girls love a good mechanic, you know… Fix up a busted tire, give them some Chewy Pellets and a few choice words of encouragement, and before you know it you've got yourself a fine bit of company at the movies on Saturday night. Either way you look at it, things were going fine as a well-tuned engine._

… _That is, until she walked through my doors…_

… _Made me see things in a whole new perspective…_

_But you know, if you asked me if I could change anything on that fateful day…_

_I wouldn't change a damn thing at all._


	2. Ch 1: The First Conflict: Act 1

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation: E.N.C.O.U.N.T.E.R

**E **_nignamatic_

**N **_ew_

**C **_adet_

**O **_ffered_

**U **_nreal_

**N **_ew_

**T **_echnical_

**E **_ngineering_

**R **_ole_

By Syncronis

Act 1: Daytime Clash

The old clock on the back wall of the Synchronizer chimed eleven o'clock, signaling the start of the workday for Sync. He considered it far too early in the morning for work… or was it too late in the evening to get any real work done…? Pulling on the old mechanics uniform over his white undershirt, he lazily scratched his scraggly black hair, stretching his back muscles out in an attempt to wake himself up even further. Stretching his arms outward, he took a good glance around his shop. The area was made up of three sections, the docking stations taken up by two cars and a motorcycle which were all in the midst of final repairs and assembly. He shook his head, clearing out the rest of the cobwebs and putting the aforementioned thought aside. Sometimes he wondered if he hung around his father too much, gaining his ideals and habits. If this kept up, he'd start sounding like an adult. That'd be HORRIBLE for business! He remedied this by picking up a bit drill from one of the nearby tables, pushing down on the trigger as hard as he could, the piercing sound of the 2x4 power tool filling his ears and sending bits of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

_Why should I worry about stupid things like that? _He wondered, putting the tool down and stretching out. _I'm a kid; a ten-year old kid whose way too good to think about stupid things like that!_ Turning on a sound system on the table, techno music flooded the large workshop, invigorating him even further. He grinned and pulled out a rusty toolbox from underneath the table, running his fingers over the faded splotches of red and silver. He opened the box to reveal an assortment of aged and worn combination of 2x4 tech and regular tools. Picking up a wrench, he decided to put his brain to a better use, turning to face one of the many cars in his care and lifting up the hood.

Bending into the machine, he started searching around for something that would cause a ticking sound; a simple problem to handle, except that it was a 2005 nacho-cheese Kraft V4 engine. Something of that caliber definitely meant that it was going to crack somewhere, and the last thing he needed was to wedge his hands in cold liquid cheese. Just as he was about to start feeling underneath the malturfuge pump, the piercing sound of a bell interrupted the flow of music.

"Hullo? Is anyone here today?" A female voice called out over the music, pulling Sync's attention even further away from the current project. "The sign said you were open, but I didn't see anyone around…"

Sighing, Sync pulled himself out from the insides of the car. "There's no one else here because it's MY shop..." He looked over the hood of the car to look at the girl invading his privacy. "I don't like it when little girls start snooping… behind…" His words died in his mouth as he got a better look at the intruder. She wore a blue smock-top sundress with spaghetti straps and a matching bag to go with; a simple pair of sandals adorned her feet and a small ribbon held her hair back in a fashionable manor.

"I'm really sorry…" She raised her hand to her cheek, taking on a look of hurt. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to come back here… It was just that I really REALLY need someone to look at my car. I can't seem to get it to stop properly anymore, and I'm afraid I'll hit someone or… or…"

Sync raised his hands in a stopping motion. "Whoh whoh! Cool… down… like, several times! I'm sure I can fix your breaks just fine… Tell you what, just ease it on in here and I'll see if I can't do something about it." He sighed as he pulled a remote control from his back pocket, aiming it towards the large door at the front of the shop and pressing the button. With a loud creak, the mechanical door slowly rose up, pouring light into the otherwise darkened workstation. Letting the door lift up a third of the way, he reached behind him to lower the sound on his sound system, watching her dip down slightly to exit.

She had a bit of a sashay to her step, which made her all the more alluring. He looked to his side and harrumphed to himself, hoping that she was single… Maybe if he did a good enough job, she'd accompany him to the Yipper Super-Extravaganza Show on Ice this Saturday. He snapped his fingers at the thought as she rolled her car into the opening. She kept the driver's seat and rear of the car behind the opened door, which was somewhat odd, but not important. He searched underneath one of the other cars for a creeper, pulling one out with his foot, and maneuvering it towards her auto. He had to admire her taste in cars, looking over the 2006 Crayola Enzo's body and paint job. Bright, colorful, and not a scratch to be found at all; if anything, she did keep fine care of the car's exterior… She HAD to be loaded in order to afford one of the most wanted cars in all of kid-kind. Getting onto his back, he lay onto the creeper and looked towards her, trying his best not to actually look up her dress.

"Just sit tight and relax for about ten minutes, and I'll have her working like brand new!" he proclaimed, giving her a thumbs-up before rolling underneath the car. However, it didn't take him long to notice that there happened to be something odd about the car.

Nothing was wrong. Not a single solitary thing.

He took plenty of time in order to look at not only the brakes, but every other part available as well. Just about everything from the brakes to the spinning halomator, but everything was fit as a fiddle. Hell, the car was in better shape than some of his better pieces of work! It had parts that the boy could never even dream of, ne'er the less obtain for his own. Hot tamale nitrous generator, four-wheel anti-gum protector, instant churro maker… This car was the kind of thing he'd make when he was hopped up on sugar… five-times over!

Sync rolled himself out from underneath, pulling out the cloth he kept in his pocket for cleaning himself off from work. "Jeez girl, you SURE that it's your brakes that are the problem? I don't seem to find anything wrong at all…" He sat up, shaking his head and placing the rag back in place. "Hell, I'd love to meet whoever sold you that thing and…!"

He barely noticed something off about her from the corner of his eye. The fact that the cute girl was now holding some sort of weapon normally struck him as a sort of '_Wow, that's just not normal!'_ vibe in his brain. Quickly ducking to the side, Sync was barely able to avoid the mustard-ray that was emitted from the weapon. He looked back to notice the yellowish stain left on his tool.

"Jeez, what the heck was that for!?" Sync exclaimed, jumping to his feet and shifting his footing to one that boxers might've used to make quick movements. "If you didn't like me poking around in your car, why the heck did you bring it to me in the first place!?" He was getting quite upset at this, of course. Here a beautiful girl visiting him for help only to attack him… if he didn't know any better, Sync would've sworn that he was in some sort of spy movie…

She laughed, twirling the mustard ray in her fingers, stepping in front of her Enzo. "Oh you stupid, silly boy… I KNOW there's nothing wrong with my car." She laughed, pointing the gun to Sync and firing again. Her smile got bigger as he dodged the ray, watching him roll beside the blue Matza Accord. "I'm here for YOU… But I'm starting to wonder if you really ARE the one the boss has been hunting for…" She frowned, tilting her head and waving her hand around the shop. "You move too well to be a nerd, but the big boss gets what the big boss wants." The mysterious vixen fired on him several more times until he finally ducked behind a table he had turned over.

Sync growled softly, peeking over the table to see if he could escape; a near miss making him duck back down. "Come on out little boy, She crooned in a sing-song tone. "and I'll be gentle from now on… I promi~se…"

He searched around for something-anything that could be used as a decent weapon that could stop her. He had several screwdrivers and wrenches that could be useful, but far too deadly to actually use. As the mayhem continued on, the creeper he used to check the woman's car rolled by his feet, propelled by the chaos and laser blasts. Looking to and fro between the items at hand, he felt his brain working an interesting yet harebrained strategy, and a grin soon adorned his face.

The girl slowly approached with slow strong steps, the sound of her sandals on the floor echoing throughout their ears, taking in every bit of the moment as a dandelion would take in the sunshine. "Outmatched and outsmarted, cutie… What're you gonna do, mmm?" She took a small step back as Sync popped out, tossing wrenches into the air. Her face took on a perplexed expression as she took aim at the items, their airtime making it almost too easy to aim at.

"Is this seriously the best you can do? Fanny was right; you really aren't worth our time…" She taunted, shooting the wrenches to the other side of the warehouse. Before she could make another move, Sync had rolled from behind the table and using the creeper as a skateboard, dashing towards her with a deranged grin plastered on his face. Barreling into her, they tumbled backwards; stopping just short of the metal door, besides the passenger side of her car. He landed atop of her; pinning her arms down and locking his brown eyes with her green ones.

"Mmm, you've got some fire to you after." She bit her lower lip in what seemed to be ecstasy. "You're going to be quite a fun one to play with, aren't you?" She squirmed underneath him and if he didn't know any better he would swear that she was relishing in the moment. Tightening his grip on her arms, he took on a mask of rage.

"Alright, now you're gonna spill everything; who sent you, and what do you want with me?" Sync growled out.

The girl merely giggled, her lips twisting into a wild grin. "Syncro, Syncro, Syncro… You're not even asking the right questions…" She licked her upper lip, sending chills down his chest and arms for reasons he couldn't figure. "The question you should be really asking is…" Her mouth started bulging, as if she were searching around her gums with her tongue. "How long I've had this gum?"

She started chewing for a slight moment, a look of confusion becoming sketched on Sync's face before she pursed her lips, a pink bubble emerging and quickly gaining in size. Before a move could be made, the bubble exploded in his face; the large bang and feel of the age-old goop making him recoil in shock. He released her arms in futile attempt to clean his eyes of gum, leaving her free to push him off of her with little effort.

Rolling backwards and onto her feet, she looked on as he grunted and groaned; his futile attempt to claw the gum off of his face with one hand. Chuckling, she hopped over the passenger side of her Enzo, pulling the key out from its hiding place as she slid into the driver's seat. "The name's Auroran, honey… Friends can call me Aurie!" Sync had managed enough to get enough of the gum out of his eyes to get a look at her as she blew him a kiss. "You were fun, cutie… But next time we meet up, you better know how to show a girl a good time, understand?"

The engine revved up, and she roared out of the warehouse, leaving skid marks in the lot as she turned and drove away. Sync had stopped his struggling, staring off at her with a hand still stuck on his impaired eye.

"Auroran, huh…" He scowled, the gum stretching out as he drew his arm back down to his side. "No way I'm gonna let you one-up me again, girl." Sync turned, walking towards the sink to clean his face of the gunk, mind racing on ways to hunt the femme fatal down before she could prepare.


	3. Ch 1: The First Conflict: Act 2

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation: E.N.C.O.U.N.T.E.R

**E **_nignamatic_

**N **_ew_

**C **_adet_

**O **_ffered_

**U **_nreal_

**N **_ew_

**T **_echnical_

**E **_ngineering_

**R **_ole_

By Syncronis

* * *

_Hoyo, boys and girls! This is your author here… Figured I'd get my kicks and lollies in this time around, eh? I havn't written anything in ages, and I figured it was about time I got my kicks back in with a fanfiction. There's a lot of music involved with the making of this fanfiction, and inspiration from all sorts of places! Of course, I don't own most of it, which is cool with me. Don't look like that, I'm not greedy, its more than enough they let me write stuff like this without suing me, right? Now then…_

_In our last chapter, we learned alittle bit about our hero Syncro Armani. We also got our first look at Auroran, the mysterious female combatant who gave Syncro a run for his money… Or did he give her a run for her own…? Let's take a closer look and see where things are going, eh? __**ON WITH THE SHOW!!**_

_**

* * *

**_

Act 2: Nighttime Challenge

It had taken Syncro an hour in order for him to get all of the gum off of his face, scrubbing with the industrial soap he kept for job cleanups multiple times in order to relieve himself of both the feel and smell. By the time he was ready to once again face the world, more people had shown up to his shop, either as friends or customers. A set of girls had taken residence in the waiting room, distracting themselves with copies of month-old Archie comics, magazines and gossip about cute dresses. In front of the shop, a group of boys had taken to making their own 'nest' besides the garage opening, either sitting in chairs taken from their houses or sitting in the pavement.

The time wasted from his earlier experience was quickly made up as he had taken to the automobile from before, finding the problem with ease and patching up the problem without causing anymore major circumstances to arise. Pulling out of the car's guts, Sync straightened himself out, clapping his palms together; his face bunched up in a way that seemed to say _'Glad that's finally out of the way!'_ Closing the hood, he pulled out his cleaning rag from its pocket and wiped the remaining cheese away, walking towards the group of boys in the front of the shop.

"… and the hippo goes _'That's not a root beer, that's my wife!' _the blond-haired boy of the group finished his joke, sending the other three into fits of furious laughter. Syncro simply shook his head and sighed, stuffing the rag back into place and leaning back against the corner of the warehouse opening. "Man Sync, you gotta stop working so hard, you just missed the joke of the year, I swear!" The boy reached up from his seat to slap the mechanic on his back.

Syncro winced as the boy's hand came down sharp and hard, leaving a painful sting along his vertebrae. He gave back a weird smirk however, as the boy's own face contorted at the realization that he had gotten some of the mechanic's cheese-grease on his own hands. "I'll have plenty of time to laugh when I'm finished with this work and riding along on my baby." He retorted, casting a quick glance at the motorcycle that rested at the far end of the workshop.

Another one of the boys scoffed, brown eyebrows shifting to give a look of disbelief. "Yeah, this so-called 'Land Chaser' of yours …" He spoke the last two words with testament to his age, shaking his hands alongside his head. "You've been working on that thing for like, eleventy-billion days… You're NEVER gonna get that thing to work!" Sync frowned at the boy, pointing his index finger out.

"First off, it's only been two months since I started putting all those junk parts together…" He sighed, walking away from the group towards the motorcycle. "You think you can do a better job than me, you're more than welcome to take my wrench and do this for me!" Taking a glance back, Sync took satisfaction in the frown that had adorned the child's face. "Besides, I saw a few things today that can get it running today, if I work fast enough." He knelt down beside the bike, reaching inside to fiddle around with certain parts within.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me about earlier…" The third boy chose this time to speak, having been distracting himself with a copy of _LINCOLN: Civil War Zone_. "You guys have been hearing about the rumor going round, right? About this hot girl wandering around the city?" Syncro's head snapped back towards the group, his attention now fully diverted from the original task. "Apparently this really cute girl's been seen wandering around town, challenging boys to fights and disappearing once she beats the stuffing out of them…" The boy shook his head and stuck his nose back into his comic book. "I almost want to meet her, but then I don't wanna fight a girl." The other boys nodded, but Syncro frowned, his face contorting in a way that showed he was fighting a thought.

"Yo Synchs, you alright over there?" The first boy called out, noticing his face. "You look like you had a bad taco or something, yaknow?"

Snapping back to reality, he shook his head, clearing out the thoughts that overtaxed him. "Yeah… Sure, I'm fine… Just got something on the brain, that's all…" He muttered, turning his attention back towards his vehicle.

* * *

The weather had taken a turn for the worse as the day pressed onward, the streets of Empire City becoming glossed over with a fine coat of rain as the sun finally started to set. Most of the pedestrians had already taken to umbrellas and raincoats, while the lesser-fortunate used whatever was on hand in order to shield their heads from the oncoming shower. Thunder clapping overhead covered the sounds of punches and kicks being administered on a young boy in one of the many alleyways of the city. As the boy finally fell to the ground in unconsciousness, the assailant looked down upon him with distaste and boredom, her hair matted down with the weight of rainwater. Sighing, Auroran ran a hand through her hair before absentmindedly flicking raindrops from off her fingertips. She walked out from the alley, ignoring the downpour as she worked her way through the crowds of people. Stopping in front of a red Pitsnake SRT, she pulled out a set of keys, deactivating the car's alarm and opening the door. As Auroran pulled the passenger door open, she pulled out her cell phone, hitting the speed dial while sliding across the covered seats.

"Kids Next Door Arctic Training Base" The phone blasted out, its voice seeming as if it had one too many sodas. "This is Numbah 964 of Recruitment Department Alpha responding." Auroran sighed, placing the phone in place on top of the car's dashboard. The radio embedded flipped over to show a monitor with a young boy's serious face, his gaze refusing to wane at the sight of the soaked female. "Oh, it's just you, Numbah 404…"

"It's Auroran, thank you…" she sighed, pulling a brush from the glove compartment and fixing her hair. "You know full-well I don't like the Numbah system the KND uses, **Greg**." She raised her voice at his name, enjoying the cringe he made when spoken.

"And yet, we still use it…" said Numbah 964. "Because of those who wish to remain anonymous, who don't want their names to be revealed over…" His speech was cut short as the visual ended, the sounds of her hair being brushed being heard over the speakers. "Numbah 404… Numbah 404, what is the MEANING of this!?" His face turned red as the sounds of soggy clothing being peeled off overtook his ears.

"I **so** need to change my clothes after being out in that storm for so long, and I don't need some **boy** watch me while I change." Her voice had a haughty tone as she wrapped herself up in one of the few towels she obtained from the backseat, wrapping another one around her hair. "Now then, the real reason I'm calling is to give my report on recruits 53582 to 53599… all failures…" She sighed, paying attention to the moisture on her neck and shoulders.

"Hmm, you've got to stop being so serious with all of the recruits, Numbah 404…" The operative grumbled. "You know that these civilians have no chance against you, the point is to handle them lightly; do you even **understand** what the word means!?" His voice became raised for a moment before the sounds of rustling papers began to cover Auroran's end of transmission. "And for that matter, what about the report for recruit Numbah 53581? You were supposed to examine him early this morning, and I **still** don't have the report back yet…"

She sighed, bringing a blue skintight undershirt out and looking it over. "Num… Hmmm, Syncro Armani…" Her eyes closed as she saw the morning's events replay in her mind. "If there were more people like him, there may be more recruits…" She shook her head in an attempt to clear the daydreams away. "I need another day to give you a better answer."

"Negative Numbah 404, you have only one day to work through your list of operatives and you're almost out of time, I can't let you postpone this any further."

"But it's only nine o'clock here, how am I supposed to give you-"

"That's not my problem, Numbah 404. You have until twelve-midnight to give me a response. Artic Base out."

The communication clicked out, leaving Auroran to harrumph to herself as she finished dressing herself. Her head tilted slightly in deep thought; there was almost no way to track him down at this time of night, and there was no other contact in the area that he regularly visited on that day, aside from his regular trips to the Tootsie Pop shop, which had long since closed. Shaking her head, she finished turning the key to the car, revving the engine and pulling out into traffic. Weaving in-between the incompetent adults and inexperienced civilian children, she merged into Main Street in order to make way towards the downtown pool halls and soda bars that children usually hung out in the late vestiges of nighttime.

The oncoming red light was more than welcomed, her machine drifting to a halt while her thoughts went full throttle. She knew being so focused on the boy wasn't proper of her, not normal in the least for her… and yet, when she thought of him, she couldn't help but feel a bond – a strong connection – with the boy. She had only one meeting with him, never knew him until that moment; and yet there was the feeling that the two were meant to dance alongside each other along the battlefield, the partner alongside from then-on-in until the end of their days… or until one or the other died…

She brought a palm to her head, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. There was no time for such foolish thoughts… The mere thought of anyone being even close to being a competition to her was absurd to begin with. She glanced to her right; the thought of looking at someone-anyone else- would be enough to distract her from the conflict in her mind. What she saw instead, was the very source of her woes, riding along a custom motorcycle. Auroran's lips couldn't help but twist into a grin, her mind becoming intoxicated with intrigue and adrenaline.

"Hoyo, handsome!"

* * *

The sun had finally set on the day for Syncro, the work on all of the cars completed and the children sent home or grown bored with hanging around at the warehouse. His work outfit had grown dirty with black muck, hair in disarray and grime in his fingernails. Ne'er the less, he wore a wide grin with pride, the work on his prized project finally completed. The few moments in which he had examined and explored the woman's vehicle had given him an insight as to the multitude of problems he had within his own automotive. Walking over towards his motorcycle, he pulled a large circular earpiece from a pocket on his jumpsuit, placing it over his left ear as well as a half-helmet from the nearby cart. Stopping overtop the vehicle, he looked it over one last time before starting a test run.

The Land Chaser was a testament to months of engineering and creativity, the body being slightly larger than your standard motorcycle, but with good reasoning as to it as well. The wheels were quite thicker than standard and the midsection underneath sported both ventilation shafts as well as a strange circular disc. Foot supports were stationed further out than any other cycle seen, making it look as if he had stuck large triangles on the lower back-ends of the vehicle, the jet thrusters embedded in the back becoming a feint mirage in the design. Letting his emotions take over, he clicked on the button on his earpiece, a clear-blue visor encompassing his eyes and the back of his head.

Seating himself atop the Chaser, Syncro touched the flat black panel atop the cycle's dashboard, bringing the machine and the visor's diagnostic system to life.

_LAND CHASER DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS ACTIVATED_

_VISOR SUPPORT SYSTEM: __**ONLINE SYSTEM-CHECK 100%**_

_MOTOR SUPPORT SYSTEM: __**ONLINE**_

_ANTI-GRAVITY SUPPORT SYSTEM: __**ONLINE & ON-STANDBY**_

_POPCORN ENGINE SUPPORT SYSTEM: __**ONLINE: FUEL-CELLS RESPONSIVE & READY FOR USE**_

_TAFFY ENGINE SUPPORT SYSTEM: __**ONLINE & AWAITING CHARGE**_

_BLUETOOTH SUPPORT SYSTEM: __**ONLINE & AWAITING COMMANDS**_

_GPS NAVIGATION SUPPORT SYSTEM: __**ONLINE & AWAITING INPUT**_

_R6 NITROUS SUPPORT SYSTEM: __**ONLINE & AWAITING CHARGE**_

_ULTIMATE R-CHARGE SUPPORT SYSTEM: __**ONLINE **_**& ON-STANDBY**

_ALL SYSTEMS PASS FINAL-CHECK_

_YOU MAY BEGIN RACING._

He nodded to himself, double-tapping the visor's activation button to bring up several racing tools; a speed gauge, GPS system, Bluetooth phone system, and voice-activated Google internet. Popping an orange Tootsie Pop into his mouth, he revved the engines, trembling at the feeling of the popcorn going off from deep within mixing with the tangy addictive taste of sugar and artificial dyes.

"Bluetooth command to Syncronizer, close workshop gates upon exit."

"Acknowledged" A female voice responded back to him, the shop's computer network showing a clear and responsive signal. Nodding to himself, he pushed down on the gas, the Land Chaser shooting out from the bay and into the streets. He didn't even bother to look back, so sure of himself that the shop would in fact follow orders properly. Blasting down the suburban street, he noted the constant rate of speed at 45mph, racing along and weaving in-between cars and obstacles all the same. Ignoring both the rain and the shouts of the angry people, he blazed throughout the suburban area for a short while, exploring the roads and testing the GPS system.

After an hour of racing throughout the quiet area, Syncro decided to give the machine a real test, pulling onto the highway and heading into the city. As he put on a track from his personal playlist, he let his thoughts drift ever-so-slightly to the events beforehand, to the girl who attacked him with such passion and skill. Beautiful and deadly, she was as intoxicating as the Tootsie Pop he was crunching into, the bitter chocolaty taste melting into his mouth just as her presence had into his mind. He didn't quite understand it, but he knew that he would indeed see her again… Their earlier entanglement had left an impression on the both of them…

He shook his head, the headset chirping to notify him on an oncoming signal change up ahead. _"It's past nine… There'll be more than enough time to investigate this Auroran character in the morning, since I don't have any jobs lined up yet…"_ His thoughts strayed for another moment before coming to a stop. He spat out the moist stick, his eyes catching a glimpse of the Pitsnake beside him. It was a nice car, but nothing of interest, until he heard the voice of the one giving him mental turmoil.

"Hoyo, handsome!" Her voice rang out like a crystal bell in a room full of statues. His head snapped back as the window to her car lowered fully. "What's a handsome gent like you doing out so late?"

"You…!" Syncro's hands tightened on the grip, taking a good force of will to keep from accelerating the throttle.

"Did you learn how to show me a fun time while I've been busy?" cooed the vixen, licking her lips. "If not, I've got an idea I'm **sure** will be up your alley." The engine to her SRT began to accelerate, smoke emitting from the wheels. "I'll be waiting for you at the Empire City Park… If you be a good boy, and meet me before 10PM, I'll give you a reward you'll never forget…" She brought her middle and ring finger to her lips, blowing him a kiss in a way that moreso infuriated him than teased him.

"I'll be there, Auroran!" He screamed, revving his own engine. The coordinates had shown him at least a "You better not be late!" As the light turned green, he blasted down the street, flames exerting from the back jets. As he raced off, Auroran simply watched him; reaching up to the phone that still lay within the video monitor. Pressing down on a single button, the speed dial activated and a red-headed girl came up on screen.

"Hello, Fanny? I've got a situation I think you'll **really** enjoy…"

_**End Act 2: Nighttime Challenge**_

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_Oh no! It looks like Syncro's going to get the test run of his life! What could be awaiting him at the Empire City Park? And what could it have to do with Numbah 86!? Auroran may be testing him, but anything involving Fanny Fullbright is__** FAR**__ from good or easy! Will our hero find fate victory at the park, or will Numbah 86 give him the ultimate failing grade? Keep your eyes peeled for __Chapter 1; Act 3: Get to the Park; Outrun the Dragon!_

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_Music to play while reading:_

_Familiar Indoors from Ryuusei no Rockman 1 [Syncronizer Shop]_

_Midnight Calling by Naked Funk [Auroran's Change]_

_Spade Magnets Stage from Ryuusei no Rockman 3 [Auroran's Thoughts]_

_Twinkle Cart from Sonic Adventure [Blast Off, Land Chaser!]_

_Dilapidated Way from Sonic Adventure [Syncro's Thoughts]_

_Combination – vs. Mega Scorpio from Rockman X7 [The Second Confrontation!]_

_Boss Encounter from Ryuusei no Rockman 3 [Blast Off, Syncro Start and the Call to Fanny!]_

_Reviews are fuel for the soul, yaknow… or not, I'm not greedy. _


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